Before Clary
by Musiclove95
Summary: This is a series of one-shots I created to help me overcome writers block. They all take place before City of Bones. Rated T to be safe. Enjoy!
1. Clubbing

**Hey! This is my new prescription for making writers block disappear. I'm writing a new one-shot for this collection every time I get stuck with my other stories. And guess what! It actually works! And now, I can promise you that if you're all really good, you might find a shiny new update in your inbox on Christmas morning. On that note, I'd like to thank everyone who has supported me in my writing, because you are all amazing and I love you (in a non-creepy way) *sends hugs to everyone*.**

**So, this is un-beta'd, of course, as it is a brand new 'medicine'. I reread it a few times so it should be readable and not drive you crazy with all the mistakes in it. With that in mind, I'd like to just remind you that this is only a series of one-shots and maybe a few two-shots, so I will not be updating it as frequently as I am with my main projects (i.e _Shadowhunter Reunion _and_ Resurfacing, _and maybe_ Forever _when I get my inspiration for it back). But, if you all send me nice reviews, I might post another one-shot tomorrow that I have half-written at the moment. And this is my first ever ONE-SHOT! So, hopefully, it's good. **

**This one-shot is about Jace and Alec's first solo demon hunt together, and it touches on Alec's feelings towards Jace, which is something I have actually never touched on before in any of my other fics. Hopefully it's okay and I didn't totally screw up the concept. I enjoyed writing it though!**

**All of the one-shots in this collection take place _before City of Bones_, so I may write a one-shot about Clary and Simon, but you will never see a one-shot featuring both Clary and the Shadowhunters actually _interacting_ with one another. **

**As always, my inspiration for this fic comes from music:**

***_The Time (Dirty Bit)_- Black Eyed Peas (Jace PoV- it helps to set the mood, and sort of illustrates Jace's feelings towards demon-hunting and life in general)**

***_Story of Us_- Taylor Swift (Alec's PoV- I know Taylor is singing to a boy as a girl, but it sort of explains how Alec feels about his relationship with Jace)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Mortal Instruments characters, they belong to Cassandra Clare, and I don't own either of the songs I mentioned above. **

**Enjoy the one-shot!**

1. Clubbing

4 Years Before _City of Bones_

Jace- 13 years old

Isabelle- 12 years old

Alec- 14 years old

* * *

Jace sat at the bar in Pandemonium sipping a Coke. His eyes scanned the crowd, keeping a close eye on his _parabati_, Alec, who invisibly searched the club. They were following an Eidolon demon, a shape-shifter, tonight. The demon wore the guise of a human girl, and prowled the with purpose. In everyone but Jace's eyes, Alec was naught but a dark shadow following the girl. That was the beauty of glamour's; the mundies were kept clueless to the horrors of their world, and the Shadowhunters could do their job without arousing suspicion.

Tonight was Jace and Alec's first solo hunt. They used to be accompanied by Alec's father, Robert, but as it was the one-year anniversary of Alec receiving his first Clave marks, Robert and Maryse had allowed them to go on a hunt without parental supervision. With Jace's natural fighting skills and Alec's sense of safety and rules, no one could doubt that they were the perfect team.

Jace fiddled with the seraph blades in his pockets. He practiced naming them as he imagined killing the demon. _Cassiel, Samchia, Verchiel, Israfiel, Camael, Telantes, Abrariel, Jophiel, but never Raziel_, he repeated to himself. His choices were plentiful. He took a thoughtful sip of his drink, considering the names of the seraphim. _I'll name them Cassiel and Camael_, he decided. Temperance and Joy. Temperance to remind him to make the kill swift, and Joy to remind him that killing demons was the only way he could stay close to his father—by doing what he taught him.

"Kid, ain't you a little young to be in a club?" one of the barista's asked him. Jace kept his eyes on Alec, watching his _parabati_ herd the Eidolon demon into the back storage room. The thought of Alec trying to convince anyone of anything and actually succeeding was mildly hilarious, but he had insisted that Jace keep watch and stay safe. _Safe my ass_, Jace scoffed. He craved danger like a smoker craved their daily cigarette.

"Hmm, I guess so," Jace replied, taking one last sip of his Coke before flinging it in the annoying barista's heavily made-up face. he hopped off the stool and shoved his way through the crowd of bodies gyrating to the pulse of the trance music.

Jace activated the rune that made him invisible to the eyes of mundanes and slipped into the supply closet. Alec had the demon cornered, pointing his glowing seraph blade at it. Jace crept over, climbing up the mountain of boxes and machinery. He pulled his seraph blade out of his pocket.

"_Camael_," he whispered, the blade lighting up. _I will stab you with Joy_, Jace thought.

He sent Alec the signal—holding his seraph blade right over his head so the light lit up the ceiling above him—and jumped onto the demon, taking it to the floor. The thing collapsed under him with a hiss and lashed out blindly. One claw swiped his arm and a thin line of red blood welled up, the colour bleeding through the hole in his now ripped leather jacket.

"Aww, come on! I loved this jacket!" he complained, a wave of red anger swelling up inside him. The thing actually _scratched_ him.

The demon—in the form of a teenage girl wearing nothing but a leather miniskirt, knee-high boots, and what looked like a bikini top—gave him a sly grin. "Sorry, little Nephilim. But you won't need a leather jacket where you're going," the she-demon hissed.

"Big words for someone who is about to die," Alec commented, looking down at the demon. alec put a hand on Jace's shoulder. "Finish it Jace. The sooner we finish this, the sooner we can go home."

"And have to listen to Isabelle complain about not being able to come with us? No way. I kind of like this scene—girls, music, drinks that you can steal from under the noses of the half-drunk bartenders with a little glamour," Jace smirked at Alec, whose jaw dropped.

"Have you ever even kissed a girl before, Jace? Other than Isabelle—a real kiss?" Alec asked, momentarily distracted from demon-hunting.

Jace lifted _Camael_ about his head. "Hell, yeah," he told his _parabati_, who looked speechless.

Alec's eyes turned into slits. "You're _thirteen_, Jace!" he exclaimed. But Jace just shrugged at him.

"I'm not the worst of your worries, Shadowhunter," the demon hissed, trying to wriggle itself out from underneath Jace.

"Shut up," Jace told the demon, elbowing it as hard as he could in the jaw.

That move pissed the demon off, and it proceeded to sink its teeth into Jace's leg, biting through the black jeans he was wearing and piercing his skin.

"Ow! Alec it bit me!" Jace complained, shoving his seraph blade closer to the demon's 'heart'.

Alec looked like he was trying not to laugh. "Of course it did, Jace. If you were sitting on me like that, I'd have wanted to bite you too."

Jace gave Alec a funny look and the other boy's face went bright red.

"NO, no, Jace—I didn't mean it like that! You dirty minded child!" Alec scolded him, looking incredibly embarrassed.

"Okay, Alec, whatever you say. I'm sure I taste delicious, right Suzy?" Jace joked, wagging his finger at the demon's mouth.

"Stupid, stupid Nephilim. You waste your time joking and arguing, when there are five more of my brethren outside snacking," the demon gloated, giving off a wheezy laugh.

Jace rolled his eyes and stabbed the blade through the demon, making it disappear in a cloud of black smoke. He wiped his seraph blade on his pants and stood up.

Alec pulled his Sensor out of his pocket. "Crap," he swore, showing Jace the reading.

Jace just shrugged. "Let's go kick demon ass," he said, limping his way towards the door and opening it far enough to be able to see what was happening. Sure enough, Jace could spot five Eidolon demons, each attempting to seduce a victim.

He was about to spring out and attack when Alec grabbed his arm. "What the hell, Alec?" he demanded.

Alec touched Jace's arm where the demon had clawed him. "You're limping, too," he pointed out.

Jace gave Alec a defiant look. "I am _not_ limping. _You _just want a reason to get me out of my pants and jacket," he accused in a joking manner.

Alec flushed bright red and sent Jace a murderous look.

"Whoa, Alec—calm down, I was only joking," Jace's hands shot up in the international symbol for _I surrender._

Alec shook his head at Jace. "Take you jacket off and sit down—and do not even _think_ about making another dirty joke about it," Alec warned him, taking his stele out of his pocket.

Jace laughed. "You know me so well." he took his ripped leather jacket up and rolled his sleeve up a little so Alec could complete the half-drawn _iratze_ on his shoulder. Once it was finished, Jace watched as Alec drew another on his bitten ankle.

"Let's go; you should be able to fight better now," Alec proclaimed. Jace nodded and stood up, slipping out of the storage room, still invisible to the mundanes.

* * *

Alec watched from the door as Jace did what he did best—killed demons. Alec watched in horror as Jace almost got tackled from behind by an Eidolon demon who was in the form of a heavy-weight boxer.

But Jace, being Jace, just laughed and jumped out of the over-sized demon's way while stabbing _Camael_ into the demon in front of him. Alec stared at Jace, watching him flit between people, taking down the five demons in under five minutes, and before they could injure anyone. he couldn't help but admire the way Jace's hair reflected the colour of the strobe lights, and how his eyes lit up with fierce excitement when he was fighting, and the set of his mouth as he went in for the kill.

Suddenly, the boy he was admiring was at his side, pulling him out of the storage room. His hair was mussed and his eyes were aglow from the thrill of the hunt. "How'd I do?" he asked, not looking worn out at all. Alec would've been panting if he had taken down that many demons so quickly.

Alec considered how to answer him. Alec and his sister Isabelle had a rule that they wouldn't compliment Jace more than three times a day, and he was surely close to his quota. "He has a big enough ego as it is, Alec," his sister would say, "be careful not to inflate it too much. We don't need Jace cockier than he already is."

But Isabelle wasn't here, and one more compliment wouldn't kill Jace. "You did really well. I should've brought a camera so Hodge and Dad cold see how well you did," Alec complimented.

Jace snorted, his cockiness showing through."I was _glamoured_, idiot. A camera wouldn't have been able to _see me_. Speaking of which, I probably look really odd talking to no one right now, so do me a favour and take yours off."

Alec did as Jace told him. As usual. Jace got on Alec's nerves sometimes, like right now. Jace acted like nothing mattered to him. Like he didn't care about who helped him, or what others did for him. never had Alec _ever_ gotten a 'You were awesome' or a 'Thanks for having my back'. Never.

He didn't really mind, though. In his eyes, Jace spending time with him was thanks enough. Because when you're in love with someone, the little things they do every day are treasures to you.

Jace's words about kissing girls cut Alec. "Hell yeah", Jace had said. That translated into "Yes, many times" in Alec's mind. Alec wasn't naïve; he knew Jace would never reciprocate his feelings. To Jace he was a brother, a best friend.

Alec shook those thoughts out of his head adn turned back to look at Jace, who was eye-flirting with a blonde girl. alec nudged his friend, who rolled his eyes at the blonde before turning to look at Alec. The girl giggled and blew Jace a kiss.

"What was that for?" Jace burst once the girl had turned away.

Alec was taken aback. "We should probably get home now. You can brag about all of your kills," he lied, trying to keep the hurt he was feeling out of his words.

Jace's face brightened. "I was pretty awesome, wasn't I?"

_ Yes_, Alec thought. _Emphasis on the _pretty_ part_.

**So, how did I do? Please review and let me know! (I might post another tomorrow) You can make requests for topics you'd like me to write about in your reviews. I promise to try to use as many of your ideas as possible and remember to mention your names in my author's notes so I can give you the credit you deserve for giving me ideas! Thanks!**

**xoxo, Tally Cullen95**


	2. Forever and Never Yours

**Hey! So, I needed another quick writer's block breaker, so this is what I wrote. I got a few requests to do a one-shot about a girlfriend that Jace actually cared about, so this is it. It's actually pretty sad, which sucks of me, but I think it's a good take on what Jace's first girlfriend that he actually cared about would be like and how it would end because Jace is a pretty loyal individual when he is in a relationship. I couldn't see him getting together with Clary if his first love was still around. So this is it. Enjoy! **

**Ages:**

***Jace: 15**

***Alec: 16**

***Isabelle: 14**

**Disclaimer: I own the plot and any new characters I've added. The rest belongs to the awesomely amazing Cassandra Clare.**

Forever and Never Yours

"Did you know that I think I might really . . . Dammit, that doesn't sound right!" Jace threw the piece of crumpled paper at the garbage bin. Wasn't it just _so_ hilarious that words had always been _his thing_ until he needed them the most? So _damn funny_.

"Jace Wayland! What in the world are you doing in there?" That was Maryse, Jace's adoptive mother.

"Nothing, Maryse, I'm just practicing my aim!" Jace called in response. He could hear Maryse let out a frustrated _humph_.

"Jace, you know well enough that your aim is pretty near perfect! Please, for the millionth time, stop throwing whatever you are throwing at the wall! Your brother just got down for his nap and I don't want anything waking him up," Maryse said in response.

Jace let out a frustrated sigh. Did she not understand that what he was doing was important? Besides, the papers weren't even hitting the wall. His impeccable aim sent them soaring towards the waste bin, falling straight in. "Okay, Maryse, but that sound isn't me. Isabelle is probably on the phone with that boy she met at the Chelsea Market, she sounded pretty pissed a minute ago. She told him to go screw himself. You know how she gets." Jace made his voice sound nonchalant. He knew that Maryse would accept his explanation without any questions and blame Isabelle. He had always been pretty good at passing blame onto other people.

He could almost hear the smile in Maryse's voice. "Come to think of it, Jace, it probably _is_ Isabelle. You've always been the clean one, the one who would never think of throwing my furniture at walls. Isabelle's always been a little volatile. She gets that from her father." That thought was laughable. Robert Lightwood, Maryse's husband and Isabelle's father, was practically mute. Yes, he _could_ talk, but Maryse did enough for the both of them.

He went back to writing. Who knew that could be this difficult? He needed to get this finished by tonight. He had to get this to _her_. She was special. To Jace. Well, to him, and to her parents, and to the world. She was the heir to a multimillion dollar corporation, which was moving to England. Alexia Northridge was her name. She was the most wonderful, amazing girl to ever set foot onto the subway. Well, at least, according to Jace she was.

He was trying to write her a letter to remember him by. Although he had a cell phone, the Lightwood's were still too old-fashioned to have working computers and Wi-Fi in the Institute. Emailing Alexia would've been ideal, but that was a little hard without internet or a laptop.

_Alexia,_

_I'm writing this in hopes that when you're famous, you'll still remember my face. I've had so much fun with you these past few weeks__—_

Jace crumpled this paper up and threw it at the wall. It was too pathetic. He didn't want to be remembered as the guy who wrote some mushy, emotional, pitiful letter to the most gorgeous girl to ever walk through New York City. She was the embodiment of the Upper East Side, with the most beautiful blonde hair and clear blue eyes. She wore the designer dresses, sunglasses, had a huge Gucci purse. Sorry Blair Waldorf, but this girl was the poster child for Rich New Yorkers Bi-Weekly. No joke.

"Jonathan Christopher Wayland! Why the hell did Mom just have a cow in my room?" Isabelle asked, bursting into his room.

"God, Iz, calm yourself," Jace said, crumpling a paper and throwing it at her head.

"Calm myself? Are you serious? You probably told her some lie, didn't you? I _knew_ it. You _always_ make up shit about me. That's why I'm stuck taking sweaty towels to the dry cleaners _all freaking week_. I can't believe that Alexia actually sees anything in you. Bastard." Isabelle said, sitting on Jace's bed and crossing her arms. Leave it to Izzy to get herself in a tizzy.

"I'm pretty sure my parents were married when they made me. But then again, _I didn't know them_. Now get out of my room, Isabelle, I'm _trying_ to make a good-bye present for Alexia. Who, yes, actually sees something in me, believe it or not. I'm rather stunningly hot." Jace said, waving his hand in a _shoo_ fashion.

"And modest, too. By the Angel, aren't you the full package? Wait, did you say you were _making_ her something? Um, Jace, I don't think she wants some demon's head on a stick for a good-bye present, by the way. Just get her flowers or something." Isabelle said.

An idea hit him square in the face. "Isabelle, you actually may be right about something. Or partially right. Not that I was ever even _considering_ giving her a demon's head on a stick, which would be pure idiocy."

Isabelle smiled contently. "Oh, yeah, of _course_ you weren't. Because, even though a dumbass stunt like that is just your thing, it obviously wasn't even in your thought process. _Duh_."

Jace nodded, going along with whatever she was saying. His mind was elsewhere, trying frantically to remember the name of that jewellery store that had monogrammed bracelets.

Isabelle tapped her foot impatiently. "Are you even listening to me? Seriously, Jace, _rude much_? I'm _trying_ to educate you in the workings of the female brain, and you are completely tuning me out. Well, I'm done trying to help _you_. Have fun trying to give Alexia some dollar store '_Bon Voyage_' bear. I doubt she'd even remember you if you decided to just give her that."

Jace wasn't really listening to Isabelle's rant. "Hey, Iz, what's the name of that store that sells monogrammed jewellery?"

"You mean _Forever Yours_? Are you going to get her a monogrammed pair of earrings or something?" Isabelle asked.

"Um, no. I'm going with a bracelet. Cover for me while I'm gone? I don't really want Maryse to know where I'm going because she'll make a big deal out of it."

Isabelle had a devious smile on her face. "Fine, but only if you agree to take the sweat towels to the dry cleaners for me this _whole_ week. That's the deal, take it or leave it."

He let out a frustrated sigh. Even at fourteen, Isabelle was already a master at bargaining. "Fine. Deal. Whatever."

3333333

He ended up buying her a bracelet. It was made of chunky white-gold chain links, and was one of those bracelets that you could add little charms on. It was a _Pandora_ bracelet; he just had the monogramming place create a custom charm for him. The charm was a plain gold ring with a sapphire cut to look the same colour as her eyes. The gold ring is inscribed with the words '_Jusqu'à ce__moment__,__je n'ai jamais__compris__combien il était difficilede perdre__quelque chose__que vous n'avez jamais__eu'_. It was French for '_Until this moment, I never understood how hard it was to lose something you never had_'. The quote itself took up both sides of the ring and was written in tiny script.

Jace knew it was a pretty mushy quote, but he didn't expect Alexia to ever learn French, let alone recognise the tiny quote to _be _in French. Alexia was amazing, and beautiful, but she was also not one for doing a lot of book learning. She would never be a scholar, because she would never need the skills. There were other people to do that for her.

Jace was in his room with Alec, trying to decide what to wear. Alec was complaining about having to sit through the whole ordeal and sitting on Jace's bed. Jace, on the other hand, was rifling through his drawers with a frown on his face.

"Alec, did you ever give back that blue t-shirt I let you borrow?" Jace asked, shooting his adoptive brother a pointed look.

Alec coughed, looking nervous. "Max threw up last week and I couldn't find any towels so I grabbed your shirt off my bed. Then Mom told me to burn it so no one would catch the flu from Max!" Alec burst. "Please, please, please don't kill me."

Jace rolled his eyes at Alec's dramatic ways. "I'm not going to kill you. I'm just going to point out that you're lucky it was an old shirt or you'd be buying me a new one. Anyway, I think I've found something." Jace threw his plain grey long-sleeved tee off and pulled on a short-sleeved dark blue one. "How's this?"

Alec sucked in a breath of air. "That looks great, Jace." Alec's voice came out uneven. Jace stood up and grabbed his worn brown leather jacket off its hook. He had placed the little jewellery box in the pocket earlier that evening. "Where are you going?" Alec asked.

"Um, I'm picking up Alexia. For our date. That I was just getting ready for. Ringing any bells, Alec?" Jace said slowly.

Alec flushed a red so dark; it looked like it would hurt. "Right, right, I remember. Yeah, well, have fun."

Jace smirked at his _parabati_. "Thanks Alec. You know, when you find a girlfriend, I promise to lend some of my expertise to you. I owe you one, now."

Alec flushed a dark red and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "Like that will ever happen."

Jace ignored his adopted brother's remark and made his way out the door. He had told Alexia that he would pick her up from her parent's place at seven, and it was already six thirty.

The taxi was waiting on the curb when Jace left the Institute. He glamoured himself invisible to make sure that no one saw him leaving the building—which to mundane looked like an old, run-down church—and took it off as he neared the cab.

The cabbie was sitting inside the car with the music blasting when he reached it. The radio was playing some weird music that solidified Jace's assumption that most mundane were half-deaf. The singer was screaming about the colours black and yellow. Jace had to knock on the door to get the cabbie to notice him.

"_Idiot_," Jace muttered as the taxi driver turned the music off and unlocked the taxi doors.

"Get in, kid. I got places to go, girls to meet. Where'm I takin' you?" the taxi driver asked. His voice had a sort of slurred drawl to it that made his words meld into one another.

"To meet a girl," Jace said, unable to keep the disdain out of his voice. He didn't mean to be stuck-up—well, actually, he sort of did. The taxi driver stank of cigarettes and stale coffee and some type of alcohol. Jace wondered if the guy ever thought to take a shower.

"A pretty girl, son?" the guy asked in his raspy voice. Jace assumed that the guy wasn't a day over 25, but the way he spoke made him seem like an old man and a perverted teenage boy all at once.

"No, she's butt ugly. Of course she pretty, you idiot. Now, drive and I'll direct you," Jace said.

"You got a bit of a temper for a little one. How old are you?" the guy asked. He had started the car, which was a point in his favour, but he was trying to drive the car while it was still in park, which was a million points out of his favour.

"You need to put the car in drive first," Jace said, ignoring the cabbie's last question.

He complied. "Right, got it, kid. Which way am I going?" The cabbie took this moment to decide to scratch his head, which resulted in a shower of dandruff. Jace wrinkled his nose.

"You, know what, I don't think I'll need your services. I'm sorry. My frien—girlfriend, prefers the subway, anyway." Jace got out of the cab, handing the driver a five dollar bill as he got out. "Use that to go buy some soap. I'm serious," he added, shutting the door and leaving the cabbie in a stunned silence.

Jace ended up taking the subway, which brought him to about a block away from Alexia's house on the Upper East Side. As he walked down Alexia's street, he passed a car full of girls maybe a year or two older than him, giggling as he passed and motioning for him to get in. Jace, completely focused on his target, ignored them, waving them off with his hand.

One girl even had the bravery to yell, "If you ever need a little somethin'-somethin' you can come to me for it."

He didn't even turn around to acknowledge that he heard what she said. Alexia's house was two houses away, one house away. He was at her doorstep, shyly knocking, hoping that the maid would open the door and _not_ Alexia's father.

Luck was with him. The maid, Lynnsee, opened the door. "Jace? You not pick Alexia up already?"

He was taken aback by the maid's words. "I'm sorry, what? It's only seven 'o' clock now. Did she leave already?"

Lynnsee nodded her head. "Yes, she said you call and say you stuck in traffic. She go to meet you at restaurant. You no remember?" The maid's thick accent made it difficult to understand her disjointed sentences.

"Okay, I guess I will meet her there, then. Bye," he said, turning around as the door shut behind him. He shook his head, wondering what would possess Alexia to make up a story like that and leave. True, she could've been eager to meet him—they hadn't seen each other for a little over a week now except for talking or texting each other—but he didn't expect her to do that. She was always perfectly content with having him come pick her up. _This would all probably be easier if I had a car and a license like some mundane have_, Jace thought.

Begrudgingly, he pulled out his cell phone and called the taxi company. He needed to be at Taki's in the next ten minutes or less and the subway train wouldn't be back at this stop for another hour. Within minutes, a taxi showed up.

Sadly, it was the taxi driven by the guy Jace had insulted multiple times twenty minutes earlier. Not good. The guy looked up at Jace with a sneer. "So now you comin' crawlin' back to my cab? Awe, I'm so damn honoured."

Jace shook his head and got in the taxi. "Shut the hell up and drive. I'm not in the mood."

The driver snickered. "Where'm I taking you?" Jace answered him and the cabbie started driving in silence. Jace looked absentmindedly out the window, keeping a look-out for the girl he was supposed to be meeting. He didn't really like the idea of Alexia being alone at Taki's, even though most of the Downworlders there were relatively well-mannered and the place was glamoured.

The cab driver, whose name Jace never got, dropped him off on the corner nearest to the restaurant, claiming that the street was too busy to park closer. Jace was fine with that; he wanted to get out of that cab as soon as possible. He half-ran down the street to where the restaurant's entrance was located. It was already getting dark out, the sun having been hidden behind a thick layer of clouds all day. It was a strange November day, where the sun was only out for a few hours between twelve 'o' clock and two thirty.

He made his way into the restaurant and past the ifrit, Clancy, who informed him that his friend was waiting in one of the back booths for him.

Jace made his way to the back of the restaurant. It was strange that Alexia would choose this part of the restaurant, where the main customers were of the undead variety.

"Hey Jace!" Alexia said upon seeing him. She was looking as amazing as ever, with her blonde hair done up in perfect curls and her eyes bright. They seemed larger than usual today, but Jace blamed that on the dim lighting.

"Hey," he replied, sliding onto the bench across from her. He set his hands on the table and enjoyed the fell of the plush seats. The ones in the cab had been cracked and uncomfortable to sit on. _That_ was why he usually took the subway. "Why are we sitting all the way back here?"

Alexia's face turned very serious and pale. Her red lips and blue eyes were the only colour on her face. "Because the sun hurts," she said, her voice almost child-like.

"Oh, okay." Maybe after living with sunglasses on, the sun seemed really bright to her. That seemed like a pitiful excuse though. "Have you ordered yet?"

Alexia shook her head. "Food doesn't sound very good right now."

Jace gave her a strange look. _What was with her today?_ "Okay, well they have other things on the menu. Like that smoothie Isabelle is always talking about." Jace picked up the menu and handed it to her. Alexia looked at it blankly. She was starting to look sick. He grabbed her and in his, and she pulled hers away with a shriek.

"Jace! That hurt! What's on your hand?" she said, holding hers out to inspect it. There was a tiny burn on her hand.

"Sorry, Alexia. I can get you some ice if you want," Jace offered. Alexia put her hand away and shook her head.

"Jace," she whispered, looking around as if she was expecting someone to sneak up on us, "how does a person know if they are going crazy?"

The question took him by surprise. His beautiful, perfect Alexia thought she was going crazy? "Um, I don't really know . . ."

"Do they hallucinate, because I swear to G—" she cut off, coughing loudly. "I swear that I'm seeing things."

Jace's eyes went wide at what Alexia had both said and done. _Can't say 'God'_—what the hell was going on here?

"Is that man blue to you, too? Am I seeing things? And is that lady . . . that one with the pancakes is she . . . _bleeding_?" Alexia's voice turned to one of wonder and awe.

_Holy crap!_ Jace thought. He knew what was going on. "Alexia, did someone hurt you this week?"

She looked dazed. "I was in the hospital on Tuesday. I . . . I was walking home from Maria's house and he jumped me. I . . . I don't remember anything else but waking up in the hospital, I had an icky taste in my mouth and I was super thirsty, but not for water. I had dirt under my fingers and the nurse, she looked so . . . yummy."

Jace pinched the bridge of his nose. She was attacked by a man at night, woke up with a taste in her mouth, had dirt under her fingernails, was thirsty, thought the nurse looked yummy, and was burned by his blessed iron Wayland family ring. _How could he break this to her?_ "Alexia, that man is actually blue. You're not hallucinating at all," he started. Alexia wasn't listening, though. She wasn't even sitting down anymore.

"Jace-y, you look yummy, too. I want a taste!" Alexia giggled. She pulled lifted Jace up as if he weighed no more than a piece of paper and kissed him fiercely on the lips.

_This is wrong. You know what she is. You should be repulsed, not kissing her!_ She licked his lips with her tongue, asking for entrance to his mouth, which he granted. When she bit his lip, he came back to reality. He could feel her canines growing, tearing into his lip . . .

"Get the hell off of me!" he exclaimed, pushing her off and making sure his ring made contact with her skin.

She screeched in pain. "You're no fun, you bastard. This is why I never decided to date you. I considered it once or twice, but I know that I made the right decision no—" She never finished her sentence. She turned around slowly and sniffed the air like a predator. She spotted the lady with the cut finger again and ran—with speed only a vampire could possess—over to the lady.

Jace, still in shock, had located the seraph blades in his pockets. _Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, crapcrapcrapcrapcrap_, he thought, willing legs to move. He was frozen with shock.

"You look very yummy today, Ma'am. May I help you with that little cut?" Alexia was asking in her sweet voice. The sky had gone completely dark, making this Alexia's prime time as a vampire. The lady was shaking her head, but Alexia was taking her hand anyway. She stuck the woman's finger in her mouth and bit down. The lady started screaming, but Alexia shushed her before anyone really noticed. The Downworlder patrons at Taki's tended to keep out of each other's problems. "You taste _so_ _good_," Alexia told the woman.

Jace saw the agonized look on the woman's face and shifted into his Shadowhunter mind frame. He was Nephilim and this vampire was breaking the rules set by the Accords. Jace threw himself across the restaurant, landing on the vampire's back. _Just don't look at her face_, he thought, the necklace in his pocket weighing a thousand pounds.

The vampire hung onto the lady's finger as Jace barrelled into her. The woman's face was losing its colour and her struggles becoming less futile as the blood was drained out of her. Jace could tell that the woman was almost dead when her eyes rolled back in her head.

"_Cassiel_," he said, watching the seraph blade start glowing. It was now or never. The woman was dying,_ dying_, and it was his fault. He grabbed the blonde leech that was biting the lady. He sent a swift punch to the vampire's jaw, dislocating it enough for him to remove the woman's hand from her mouth. "Kaelie," Jace yelled, "get this woman some help!" He watched as the bubbly waitress flounced over and picked up the lady. Meanwhile, the now-rogue vampire was struggling under Jace's weight. _Don't look at her face and you'll be fine_ was his mantra.

He dragged the momentarily stunned vampire out the back entrance of the restaurant and shoved her into the corner of the back alley. "I'm sorry," he whispered, taking _Cassiel_ and stabbing it through her heart. She groaned as he slid the blade in through her back, piercing the heart. To make sure she was dead, he rolled her over and closed his eyes as he removed the seraph blade and cut the palm of his hand, placing it over her mouth. He didn't feel any fangs piercing his skin, so knew she was dead. The first girl he'd liked for something other than her kissing skills, and she was dead. He had killed her.

Jace opened his eyes and pulled out his stele so he could draw an _iratze_ on his arm. The cut healed almost instantly. He then pulled out his cell phone and called Isabelle. He needed to talk to someone who would give him hell for killing the girl, and not tell him that it was for the best like Alec would.

"Hello?" Isabelle answered, sounding a little pissed off. "Why the hell are you calling? Did Alexia dump you? Oh, poor baby. But, I _so told you so_!"

"Shut up, Isabelle. She's dead. I—I killed her. I _had_ to. She had been bitten and was killing people in the restaurant. I was only following the Clave's rules. I—I swear to God, the Angel, whoever, that I didn't want to kill her! But I did, and maybe too late because now two people are dead—Alexia and the woman she was trying to kill." Tears crept their way into Jace's eyes and voice. _Dammit, you _shouldn't_ be crying!_

"Shh, Jace. It's okay. It's going to be okay. I'm going to tell Mom and we're going to come and help you. Don't do anything stupid, Jace. Go get a coffee and calm down." The line went dead as she hung up.

Jace fell onto his knees and buried his head in Alexia's hair. It still smelled like her shampoo. He sat and waited, wondering what he did to deserve this. It was his first real Accord-breaking Downworlder kill, so everyone would be congratulating him, but why, _why_, did it have to be her?

**So, I hope you liked it. I told you it was sad from the beginning. Hopefully there were't too many mistakes in it, because this is unedited. I _did_ read over it multiple times, though. So, please please review and give me your suggestions for another one-or two-shot!**

**xoxo,**

**FireandIce95**


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